Fluid-compressor



(No Model.)

B. HILL.

FLUID COMPRESSOR.

No. 407,205. Patented July 16, 1889.

PETERS, Pnnwum nmr. Wilhinm D. (l.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EBENEZER HILL, OF SOUTH NORIVALK, CONNECTICUT.

FLUID-COMPRESSOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 407,205, dated July 16,1889.

Application filed April 15, 1389. Serial No. 307,274. (No model.)

To (LZZ 1117mm it may cancer/t:

3e it known that I, EBENEZER HILL, of South Norwalk, in the county ofFairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement inApparatus for Governing Fluiii-Compressors; and I do hereby declare thefollowing, when taken in connect-ion with accompanying drawings and theletters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, and which said drawings constitute part. ofthis specification, and represent, in

Figure I, a side view of the governing apparatus, the motor andair-compressor not being shown; Fig. 2, a modification in the mechanismfor imparting revolution to the governor; Figs. 3 and I, modificationsin the governing-cylinders; Fig. 5, a modification in the connectionsbetween the governor and pistons.

This invention relates to an apparatus for governing the operation ofair, gas, or other fluid compressors, the object being to insure aregular and constant pressure from the discharge, irrespective of thevarying pressures upon the inlet or varying consumption from thedischarge.

In the employment of iiuid-co1npressors the variation in the pressure isdue to two causes: first,variat-ion in the consumption,and, second, tovariation of the pressure at theinlet. The increased consumption reducesthe pressure produced by the compressing apparatus, and "ice versa.Under a varying pressure of the inlet an increase or decrease ofpressure on the inlet will correspondingly increase or decrease thepressure of dischargethat is to say, if the compressor is taking itssupply at normal atmospheric pressure and working properly under thoseconditions, if the pressure at the inlet be doubled, so that thecompressor now takes its supply under double the normal pressure, theincrease of pressure from the compressor will be correspondinglyincreased.

The invention is especially adapted for pumping natural gas, where thepressure from the wells varies to a considerable extent; but it isnecessary that the pressure in the mains shall be uniform.

3y my invention I govern the speed of the compressor, so that it shallvary inversely as the pressure of the inlet varies. For example, if thecompressor is running at one hundred revolutions, under a certainpressure of the inlet-gas, and that inlet-pressure should be suddenlyinereased to double its former pressure, the governing apparatuswill cause the compressor to move at one-half its former speed, so longas the said double pressure shall exist, and the speed be reduced orincreased accordingly as the inlet-pressure is increased or reduced;consequently the gas actually discharged into the main by the compressorwill be without variation.

The invention consists in a cylinder and piston, or their equivalents,having a normal or standard pressure upon one side of the piston, thereverse side of the piston open to the pressure of the inlet ordischarge, as the case may be, the said piston in connection with aspeed-varying mechanism between the piston and the governor, whereby themove ment of the said piston under the varying pressure of the supply ordischarge, as the case may be, will correspondingly vary the speed ofthe governor which controls the compressing apparatus.

In Fig. 1 I represent a cylinder A, in which is a piston 13, providedwith a spring operating against the piston, tending to force the pistonin one direction, the cylinder from the other side of the piston beingin connection, by a pipe D, with the inlet or supply. In line with thiscylinder is a second cylinder E, like the cylinder A, and provided witha piston F. This cylinder E, I also prefer to provide with a spring G tooperate upon its piston, like the spring 0 of the cylinder A. From thereverse side of the piston a pipe ll communicates with the discharge.These two pistons are connected to a shaft I, so that the pistons aremaintained in the same relation to each other, the shaft being permittedto revolve freely. The governor is operated from this piston-shaft I. Ashere illustrated, the governor J is a common construction ofball-governor. Its vertical shaft is provided with a bevel-pinion K,which connects with a corresponding pinion L on the shaft I, the saidpinion L being splined to its shaft, so as to permit longitudinalmovement of the shaft,

but yet so that the pinion will partake of the revolution of thepiston-shaft and communicate that revolution to the governor.

To impart revolution to the shaft 1, a friction-disk M is arranged,which is caused to revolve in a plane parallel with the plane of theshaft I by a connection with the en gine which drives the compressor.

I do not illustrate the motor or the compressor, as such are well-knownand do not require to be illustrated or described further than to saythat the motor imparts revolution to the disk M.-

FiXed to the shaft I is a friction-wheel N, which works in contact withthe surface of the disk M. The aXis of the disk M is at right angles tothe axis of the shaft I andin a plane therewith, as shown. Thefriction-wheel N works in frictional contact with the surface of thedisk M, and so that the revolution of the disk M will impartcorresponding revolution to the friction-wheel N, which revolution willbe communicated to the governor J. The friction-wheel N is made fast tothe shaft I, so as to partake of the longitudinal movement which may beimparted to the said shaft.

It will be obvious that the velocity with which the shaft I will revolvewill depend upon the position which the friction-wheel N bears to thecenter of motion of the disk M that is to say, the nearer the wheel N isto the center of motion of the disk M the slower will be the revolutionof the shaft I, and vice versa.

The fluid-pressure upon the piston of the cylinder A will always be thatof the supplypressure to the compressor, and the fluidpressure in thecylinder E will always be that of the discharge. The springs areadjusted so that under the normal pressure the pistons will stand in aposition to bring the frictionwheel Nto such a position on the disk M asto cause the governor to run at a given speed, that speed being thespeed required for such normal pressure.

If the inlet-pressure is increased, it follows i that the piston B ofthe cylinder A will be forced against its spring and move according tosuch increased pressure, and this movement of the pressure will draw theshaft I, so as to bring the friction-wheel N at a greater distance fromthe center of motion of the disk M, and thereby increase the velocity ofthe governor, which increase of movement of the governor immediatelyoperates to cut oif the steam, or whatever the force may be to operatethe motor. If, on the contrary, the inletpressure he reduced, then thereaction of the spring of the cylinder will cause the piston to move inthe opposite direction and carry the friction-wheel nearer the center ofmotion and correspondingly reduce the speed of the governor.

If the pressure of the discharge be varied, as by an increasedconsumption, the pressure in the cylinder E will be reduced accordingly,the spring will react upon the piston, and will draw the shaft and thefriction -wheel N nearer the center of motion of the disk M and reducethe speed of the governor accordingly, thereby increasing the power ofthe motor; or if, on the contrary, the pressure of the discharge beincreased, then the piston of the cylinder E will be moved in theopposite direction and correspondingly increase the speed of thegovernor and reduce the motive force. Under this arrangement the speedof the governor is controlled entirely by the pressure of the fluideither upon the inlet or discharge, any variation at either pointcorrespondingly varying the speed of the governor.

In some cases the variation to be corrected may be only from the inlet.In that case the cylinder for the discharge may be omitted; or in somecases the inlet may be unvarying. In that case the cylinder upon thedischarge side will only be required; but in pumping natural gasvariation of pressure occurs both from the inlet and from the discharge.In such apparatus a cylinder is employed both for the inlet anddischarge.

The governor may be otherwise operated, but yet controlled from thepiston-shaftas, for illustration, as seen in Fig. 2. In this casecone-pulleys a bare employed, one being driven from the motor and theother in connection with the governor. The piston-shaft I in this casedoes not revolve, but carries a band-guide d, which serves as a shifterfor the band Efwhich runs upon the cone-pulleys a 1), so that the bandbeing adjusted to different positions on the cone-pulleys willcorrespondingly vary the speed of the governor.

I have said that equivalents for the pistons and cylinders may beemployed. To illustrate this fact I show in Fig. 3 a chamber f, uponwhich is a diaphragm gthe chamber open, say, to the inlet-pipe D, so asto bring the pressure of the inlet or supply upon the diaphragm. Uponthe other side of the diaphragm a spring 0 is arranged, as upon thepiston. It will be obvious that the same result will be accomplished inthis case as in the employment of a piston and cylinder. Therefore bythe term piston and cylinder, as herein used, I wish to be understood asincluding any substantial equivalent therefor.

The governing apparatus is applicable to the compressing of all fluids,as gas, air, or water.

Any suitable device may be employed to yieldingly resist the action ofthe pressure upon the piston-such, for illustration, as a weight (seeFig. 4,)it only being necessary that there shall be a reactiveresistance to the movement of the piston.

I have represented the shaft by which revolution is communicated to thegovernor as in direct connection with the piston; but the governor-shaftmay be an independent shaft in connection with the piston-rods, as seenin Fig. 5, the movement of the pistons communicating longitudinalmovement to the shaft in substantially the same manner as in the firstillustration.

I claim 1. In a fluid-compressing apparatus, the combination of agovernor adapted to control the speed of the motor, a piston andcylinder, one side of the piston open to the pressure of the fluid andwith a reactive resistance upon the piston in the opposite direction,mechanism between the said piston and the governor for impartingrotation to said governor, and a speed-controller between said mechanismand said piston, substantially as described, and whereby the movement ofthe said piston under varying pressure of the fluid correspondinglyvaries the speed of the governor.

2. In a fluid-compressing apparatus, the combination of a cylinder, apiston in said cylinder free for longitudinal movement, a resisting-spring upon one side of the piston, the other side of the pistonopen to the fluidpressure, a shaft in connection with said piston andmovable longitudinally therewith, a governing mechanism, substantiallysuch as described, for in'iparting revolution to said governor, and aspeed-controller in connection with said piston-shaft between the saidgovernor and said mechanism, substantially as described.

3. In a fluid-compressing apparatus, the combination of a cylinder, apiston in said cylinder free for longitudinal movement,aresisting-spring upon one side of the piston, the other side of thepiston open to fluid-pressure, a shaft in connection with the saidpiston and arranged to revolve, a disk adapted to receive revolutionfrom the compressormotor, the axis of said disk at substantially rightangles to the axis of said piston-shaft, a friction -wheel on the saidpiston shaft and arranged to work upon the surface of the said disk,whereby the said piston-shaft receives revolution from said disk, thesaid friction-wheel movable radially on the surface of said diskaccording to the movement of said piston, and a governor in connectionwith said piston-shaft, whereby the rotation of the piston-shaft isimparted to the said governor, substantially as described.

at. In a fluid-compressor, the combination of two cylinders, a piston ineach of said cylinders, a resisting-spring against each of said pistons,the piston of one cylinder open to the inlet-pressure, the correspondingside of the piston of the other cylinder open to outlet-pressure, ashaft connecting said pistons, a governor mechanism, substantially suchas described, to impart revolution to said governor, and aspeed-controller in connection with said piston-shaft, substantiallyasdescribed,whieh, under the longitudinal movement of the pistons,produced by either the inlet or outlet pressure, will correspondinglyvary the revolu tion of the governor.

EBENEZER HILL. \Vitnesses:

UHAs. J. HILL, JoIrN A. SLATER."

